Chichen Itza ranks second among the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. It’s a large pre-Columbian Mayan city located in the Yucatan Peninsula, which is popular among tourists for its pyramid temple called El Castillo. This is a large temple measuring 1km in diameter and it is frequented by many tourists every year. The pyramid is so popular that it has turned Chichen Itza into one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

What to see at Chichen Itza:

Chichen Itza is famous for its pyramids. There are so many in the area, some of which can be climbed by tourists while others are quite steep and not allowed to be climbed at for safety reasons. Below are some other things that tourists can enjoy in this destination:

El Castillo

As mentioned earlier, this is the main tourist attraction in Chichen Itza. This is the largest pyramid in the area, and the Mayan people dedicate this to the plumed serpent, Kukulkan. The name has arisen out of the yearly event that happens during the fall and spring equinox, when the sun hits the side of the pyramid and makes a show of light and shadow, combining to form an image of a snake at the pyramid’s steps.

Great Ballcourt

Measuring 545 ft. long and 225 ft. wide, this is considered as the largest ancient sports field in Central America. Despite being huge, it is remarkable how it preserves sound. It has been known that when one stands on one end of the field and whispers, the sound will be clearly heard on the other end. Another interesting feature of this court is the raised temple area found on each of its ends.

Temple of the Warriors

This is a very large temple with carvings that is surrounded by several hundreds of columns. The said columns were the ones that previously held up the roof of the temple, and each of their four sides has carvings depicting warriors with feathers.

Sacred Cenote

This is an underground lake or river, and the ancient Mayans believed it to be holy because it is said that this was where the royalty offered gifts to the gods. Chichen Itza was named after this cenote which in Maya means “Mouth of the well of the Itzas.”